FCT WriterFranklin's Saddle Up for a Cure is now underway
By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason, FCT Writer
It's Relay for Life season again in Franklin County. From now until May teams will be busy raising money to benefit the American Cancer Society, who funds programs for cancer patients as well as cancer research.
This year's theme is Saddle Up for a Cure, and the goal for this year's Relay is to raise as much money possible to help find a cure to cancer, James Woodall, Relay Committee Chairman, said.
At the Kickoff event Tuesday night, team members got to see how their hard work has paid off for cancer survivors.
The guest speaker for the event was Belinda Johnson, a breast cancer survivor. She talked about her recent battle with cancer and credited her successful treatment to research funded by Relays in Franklin County and across the nation.
"If it were not for research my doctors would not have known to give me chemotherapy to keep my cancer from spreading," Johnson told the crowd.
Today, nearly two years later, she is cancer free. However, Johnson will have to take medication to ensure that she would not have a reoccurrence of cancer.
"Without research, this medication that I take would not be possible," she added.
Johnson also talked about her trip to Washington D.C. to attend the Celebration on the Hill – an event geared toward making lawmakers understand the importance of funding cancer research.
Johnson said that attending the celebration changed her life even more than her own diagnosis.
"I will never be same as I was before I had cancer, and I will never be the same as before I went to the Celebration on the Hill," Johnson said.
The event continued after Johnson's speech with information being to team captains.
The biggest change in this year's Relay is that registration for the must be completed on-line instead of filling out registration cards. Team information packets were also given out at the event.
The deadline for luminaries is May 1, 2007. Luminary orders can be faxed at any time to 356-6847.
"We have a deadline for a reason," Carol Rogers, chairperson for luminaries, said. "Please get them in on time so that we won't miss anyone this year."
Fourteen of Franklin County's teams were represented at the kickoff with a total of 43 in attendance. However, on average Franklin County has about 40 teams to participate in the Relay.
The evening ended with a brief luminary ceremony to honor and remember those who lost their battles with cancer.
Relay for Life will be held on Friday, May 4 at the Russellville High School Stadium. The event typically lasts from sunset to dawn with entertainment, food, and memorials for those who lost the fight, and a celebration for those who have won.
The Relay was designed to commemorate the journey of a cancer patient must endure, from the diagnosis to recovery.
"The sunset marks the cancer diagnosis, and the dawn marks the patient's recovery," the American Cancer Society's Beth Faulkner said.
